MessengerVolume 99, Issue 1 | Winter 2018

Young at Art GEORGE LUCENTE, a Second Shot at Life Table of Contents

Featured in this Issue:

PHOEBE AT WORK 4 A Second Shot at Life 8 Dining Better, Doing Better 10 That Sweet Old Song

THE ART OF LIVING 16 Artists in Residence 8 26 Birds of a Feather

THE GREATEST GENERATION 22 The Dutchman in Japan Happenings 25 Institutional Advancement 30 Phoebe Pharmacy

On the cover: George Lucente, 81, was on the brink of death when he came to Phoebe. Rigorous rehabilitation and a will of iron brought him to where he is today: living better, and stronger than ever. Read more on page 4. 10 16

Phoebe-Devitt Homes is the official name of the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation doing business as Phoebe Ministries. Founded in 1903 and incorporated as such in 1984, Phoebe-Devitt Homes is responsible for the supervision of communities, long-range planning, development, and fundraising for a network of retirement options, affordable housing, pharmacies, and a continuing care at home program, which combined serve thousands of seniors annually.

Phoebe Ministries is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and is a member of LeadingAge, LeadingAge PA, and the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries of the United Church of Christ.

Copyright 2018 by Phoebe Ministries. Photographs and artwork copyright by their respective creators or Phoebe Ministries. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be used or republished in any form without express written permission. 16 Welcome | WINTER 2018

Mission Statement: A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT A community of faith, called by God, to Dear friends, serve the needs and to enhance the lives I am always pleased and honored to welcome the of our elders, their new year with you. As we look toward the coming families and the year and all it brings, I am inspired not only with broader community. hope and optimism for the future, but with gratitude and humility for our blessings. With the continued President & CEO: support of donors and volunteers, as well as the Scott R. Stevenson hard work and dedication of our staff on all fronts, Phoebe Ministries we have made great strides in improving the way Governing Board Chair: we serve people, both within and outside our Robert W. Miller retirement communities. Editor-in-Chief: What strikes me most when I look through these pages is the variety of life and purpose Peter McConnell represented there. The stories in this issue and those we have shared with you in the past Contributors: are stories of extraordinary people whom we are blessed to call our neighbors and friends. Brynn Buskirk In George Lucente, a man who fought his way back from a life-threatening infection, Helen Haas we see someone who refused to be conquered by age and illness, and today is hunting Rebecca Horst and enjoying life with renewed strength and vitality. You’ll read about the artists of all Trina Johnson-Brady walks of life who call our communities home, and of the travelers that call us one of two Emilie Joly homes. You’ll read about exciting innovations like the MUSIC & MEMORYSM program Anastasia Lawrence Adam Marles and how Phoebe is using it to impact memory care. These stories show us that our senior years are something to be celebrated, cherished, and enjoyed—and that innovation and individuality are things to be embraced on every level. We have a new year ahead of us, one that will bring its challenges as well as its triumphs. As we forge ahead, we invite you to join us as partners in serving and honoring the seniors in our community, both in their own homes and ours at Phoebe. It is more important and easier than ever for us to stay connected as a broader community, and to use our resources wisely to enhance life for our elders and their families. You, our neighbors and community partners, are a vital part of our history, our success, and our future. With a humble heart, I thank you for all you have done, and welcome you to become an ever more active and fruitful part of our ongoing mission. Together in Christ, we can achieve great things. May this year be blessed for you.

Scott R. Stevenson President & CEO

Les Fleurs by Walter Krieger

3 Phoebe at Work | INDEPENDENT LIVING

A SecondSHOT AT

George Lucente, 81, likesLife to say he came to Phoebe “90 percent dead.” Today he’s back in nature, and back in the kitchen, living life to the fullest.

4 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 An avid lover of nature, Lucente took a trip with his family to Yellowstone National Park last spring.

“You have to have faith and hope,” he says. “With that, anything is possible!”

eorge stood in the woods. The cool morning dew glistened on the leaves and his breath made soft billows of steam in the air.

Don’t. Move. He stood still. SHOT Listened. The buck turned and looked, and George checked his stance and pulled back on his compound bow. In one fluid motion, he released AT his arrow. As the animal fell to the ground, a single clear thought went through George’s mind: “I’m back.” Twelve months earlier, George Lucente was enjoying his retirement at home in Ulster County, New York. A retired law enforcement officer, George was always active: hunting, volunteering, fishing, and spending time with Life family. “I’ve worked three jobs at one time. I liked to be on the move,” he says. That was until a simple surgical procedure turned him septic. “A friend came to visit me and found me lying in my backyard,” George recounts quietly. “I was rushed to the hospital.”

Out on the hunt with a family friend.

5 Phoebe at Work | INDEPENDENT LIVING

Practicing the winning shot.

George was “in the ICU and 90 percent dead,” as he tells it, when his son, Vincent, arrived at his bedside in New York. George remembers it vividly. He, the retired police officer, the hunter, the workhorse, was bedridden, unable to move. The man used to being the one in charge was suddenly thrust into a role he’d never experienced before: “It was one of those moments when the father becomes the son and the son becomes the father. My son was yelling two inches from my face. He told me I had the will to live, and I did.” Vincent, a reconstructive surgeon in the Lehigh Valley, remembers the dire state his father was in. “My father is a living testimony of what you can do when you have the will and determination to get better after a serious illness. His post-critical illness myopathy destroyed almost all muscle in his body and he had to start from scratch to rebuild all those muscles.”

Post-rehab: Getting the big one! Catch of the day.

6 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 Vincent relocated George to Phoebe Allentown, where a large elk skull crowned with antlers three feet wide, and George then undertook short term rehabilitation. “They other hunting memorabilia. In January, the twelve-point brought me into Phoebe on a stretcher. I was like a buck he took down last fall arrived on a pedestal mount jellyfish,” he describes. “I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t speak. for him to display in his living room. “The taxidermist The staff at Phoebe really pushed me, and I attribute a lot called my son because the most recent one I got was the of what I can do today to their persistence.” That may be biggest one he’d ever seen—he needed to order a special true, but George isn’t the type of man who lets anything foam insert to support it,” George says with pride. hold him back. With a smile, he glances around his When George isn’t enjoying the tranquility of nature and independent living apartment at the Terrace at Phoebe the thrill of the hunt, he’s in his kitchen, cooking for Allentown. “Look at me now.” and hosting others for dinner. Often he walks across Vincent visits his father daily and is inspired by the the street to the Allentown Farmer’s Market to find independent life his father has returned to. “I was told the freshest ingredients for his home-cooked meals. “I by a large regional hospital that he was literally too sick did leg of lamb recently for six people! I’ve prepared for their rehabilitation services and only Phoebe could and served ravioli and roast beef as well.” George also handle him. He never could have accomplished this volunteers regularly across the street at the Phoebe recovery without the level of care at Phoebe.” Allentown Health Care Center gift shop.

"He never could have accomplished this recovery without the level of care at Phoebe.”

Though George still experiences lingering effects of And his new life at the Terrace at Phoebe Allentown? sepsis—it affected his memory, his speech, and his Well, George couldn’t be more pleased. “Living here? ability to read, at times—he doesn’t let those issues Let me tell you, there’s not a nicer place around. The slow him down. staff here is wonderful. They are so concerned about me, “I was always an independent man. Getting sick— from my housekeeper, to the cooks, to the waiters, to the that first year—was hard for me,” he admits. management. They are just all so outstanding!”

But George is back at it. This past spring, he traveled George is a testament to what life is like at Phoebe for to Yellowstone National Park with his children, and independent adults. “When I took that buck down last took a fishing trip in the Poconos last summer. “I didn’t fall, I said to myself ‘I still have that ability!’” He’s one get anything good, but my son did!” he laughs. In his of the many older adults living life to the fullest and apartment, he proudly displays wall-mounted buck heads, making memories at Phoebe. Learn more about life at Phoebe at phoebe.org.

7 Phoebe at Work | PHOEBE ALLENTOWN

DINING BETTER, Doing Better New menus at Phoebe Allentown are designed to create a restaurant experience, while encouraging a diet balanced with nutrition and homestyle favorites.

ne of the greatest joys in life may be found in walk-to-dine initiative, eliminating the institutional tray- breaking bread with others at a restaurant. It’s also line dining that had been in place for decades. In its place a simple pleasure that people fear they will lose when is a restaurant-style atmosphere, brightly lit and full of the moving into a senior community. For Evelyn L., who is smells of freshly cooked food. Individuals are seated at 92, battling dementia, and living at Phoebe Allentown, it tables and empowered to choose their own meals from a seemed as though she had lost this pleasure too. “Evelyn menu with daily options. Food is served tableside. has a kind smile and laughs when you speak to her, even Michell Staska-Pier, Executive Director, Regional at times when she may not understand what you are Operations, led the transition. “What I saw over the saying,” says Sandy Davies, Occupational Therapist at months leading up to the grand opening was very Phoebe Allentown. “She is attentive to her surroundings uplifting,” she says. “As we worked through construction and will definitely let you know her choices.” When she there was much curiosity about how the restaurants first arrived at Phoebe, however, she sat at a table with would turn out. I had the opportunity to work in one of five other people, evincing no apparent desire to feed the restaurants on opening day and was really impacted herself, and resistive to directives or assistance from staff by our customers’ eagerness to try the new-style dining for self-feeding. service. The restaurants were filled as soon as they Or that’s how it was. In October, Phoebe Allentown opened. I saw each person order what they wanted implemented a restaurant-style dining program and a from dippy eggs to BLTs. I saw the ordering of seconds,

8 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 usual she received assistance with her first spoonful of cereal. Then, says Davies, “she started to feed herself. She reached for her coffee when she wanted it and then resumed eating.” Davies suspects that the familiar restaurant environment triggered an automatic impulse for Evelyn to engage. Now, staff expects Evelyn to feed herself, a massive, and nearly immediate, change from when she first came to Phoebe. The impact of the new dining program on people living at Phoebe Allentown has been significant in a short time. According to Todd Saylor, Executive Chef, “We have had positive responses from residents and families about the food and the service. Through the implementation, we have seen a 19.9 percent increase on average of meal consumption and have reduced the number of residents on commercial supplements by 89 percent.” Moreover, “the registered dietitians have received more consults noting healthy resident weight gain, and the nursing department has noted DINING BETTER, an increase in resident ambulation, as residents have now been walking to the dining rooms,” notes Dietitian Kathy Guzevich. Doing Better Sue Schlener, Executive Director of Phoebe Allentown, commends the program: “Walk-to-dine not only improves the quality of the food, it also allows people choices they have not had in the past. We have seen many improvements since inception of the program, including stable blood sugars.” Most importantly, the hustle and bustle of food being served feels like eating out, and people have started referring to the dining room as “the restaurant,” says and empty plates. I saw long-lasting conversations Davies. Meanwhile, Evelyn continues to feed herself, with friends over a second cup of coffee. I was also taking her time as the staff encourages her to be as impressed by staff members, who were smiling and independent as possible. engaged with diners.” The new dining program and the attention she The results are stunning. Diners are completing more receives from staff on her neighborhood have meals, gaining weight healthfully, and showing greater made a significant difference in Evelyn’s life. This is engagement and mobility every day. Unintended change at work, and an indicator of how the Phoebe weight loss in seniors occurs in 15–20 percent* of the environment is constantly evolving to improve and population; it can be caused by other underlying health enhance the lives of the people who choose to live problems, and leaves the body weak and vulnerable to with us. Above all, we are a community, working illness. Maintaining a healthy diet and average weight is together to do better. an important part of overall wellness, and something the walk-to-dine program addresses specifically. Families Learn more about Phoebe Allentown at have noticed the changes in their loved ones, and are speaking up about the impact on their lives. phoebe.org/allentown. The day of Evelyn’s first visit to the newly enhanced *Heidi L. Galley, M.D., and Kathryn Holder, M.D.— dining room, she sat with two other women, and as Unintentional Weight Loss in Older Adults, 2014; aafp.org

9 Phoebe at Work | MUSIC & MEMORY

Maggie Jones, a sophomore neuroscience student at Moravian College, adjusts a pair of headphones for Eleanor Storck, who lives at Phoebe Richland. She’s playing some of Eleanor’s favorite music for her as part of a study on the impact of music on seniors living with dementia.

10 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 THAT

SweetOLD SONG Music can unlock memories for all of us. Neuroscience students from Moravian College set out to understand how music affects mood, cognition, and temperament in people living with dementia at Phoebe Richland. What they discovered was more profound.

11 Phoebe at Work | MUSIC & MEMORY

hen Maggie Jones walked into Phoebe Richland last October, she admits she was apprehensive. She was there to meet a group of seniors living with dementia, and with limited exposure to people with Alzheimer’s and other TRY THIS AT HOME! dementias, the 19-year-old sophomore neuroscience major at Moravian College wasn’t sure what to expect. She joined If you are a caregiver, you deserve all senior Ben Seitz, a fellow neuroscience major, who was the support you can get, and the proven leading a study on the impact of the MUSIC & MEMORYSM therapeutic benefits of personalized music program on participants’ moods, cognition, and memory. can make a profound difference for you SM and your loved one. You can easily create MUSIC & MEMORY was founded by social worker Dan personalized playlists at home! You will Cohen in 2010. Two years later, Cohen produced “Alive both benefit mentally, emotionally, and Inside: A Story of Music and Memory,” a documentary even physically from playing a special showing how music can help people living with memory selection of music, and it gives you the loss. The film follows Cohen as he meets and works with chance to reconnect in a different way. staff in senior health care centers, building customized playlists for participants and watching as they reawaken to their memories and senses of personal identity. Today YOU WILL NEED THREE THINGS: MUSIC & MEMORYSM brings personalized digital music technology to people with dementia to improve their 1. A personal computer or tablet (it does quality of life, and provides access and education in order to not have to be an Apple product). create a network of certified organizations that share in this 2. An iPod or other type of MP3 player. common goal. You can use any device that plays The program has been running at Phoebe Richland since MP3s, but MUSIC & MEMORYSM 2016, spearheaded by Community Life Director Donna recommends an iPod as the easiest Schudel. She and her staff collaborate directly with Seitz and device to use and the most durable. Jones, and have seen marked improvements in participants 3. A pair of lightweight, comfortable over- over time. Their goal is to improve quality of life for the-ear headphones. You can find good participants by lessening stressful reactions to certain headphones for a reasonable price at times of day or certain events, like shift changes or “sun- most stores that sell electronics, or at downing,” a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease that produces online retailers like Amazon. Please anxiety and depression during twilight hours. note that the earbuds included with To conduct the study, Seitz and Jones interviewed each iPods can be difficult for seniors to use, person participating to learn about the artists and music so they are not the best option. they prefer. Seitz created customized playlists for each of them, and the playlists are updated as needed or requested. Participants listen to the music through headphones on For more information including detailed iPod shuffles. instructions on how to set up a playlist and install it on your MP3 device, visit Seitz and Jones chose to focus their study on 10 people MusicAndMemory.org and click on each, all of whom are living at the Phoebe Richland Health “Resource Guides” under “Training & Care Center with some level of dementia. They collected Publications.” data to determine if there is any improvement in cognition. Seitz and Jones created a control group (people not participating in the program) and an experimental group (people chosen to actively participate in the program and administered customized playlists). Participants in the study were randomly distributed into the experimental and control groups.

12 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 WHAT’S ON YOUR PLAYLIST? Eleanor Storck relaxes to the classic crooning of Bing Crosby. The 1940s and '50s were a great period in American music, and hit a chord of nostalgia with more than one generation today. The songs below were the Number 1 pop singles of their day from the Billboard Year-End Chart, which began listing top songs in 1946. REMEMBER THESE TUNES?

1946 “Prisoner of Love” Perry Como 1947 “Near You” Francis Craig 1948 “Twelfth Street Rag” Pee Wee Hunt 1949 “Riders in the Sky” Vaughn Monroe Orchestra 1950 “Goodnight, Irene” Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers 1951 “Too Young” Nat King Cole 1952 “Blue Tango” Leroy Anderson 1953 “Song from Moulin Rouge” Percy Faith 1954 “Little Things Mean a Lot” Kitty Kallen 1955 “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” Perez Pando 1956 “Heartbreak Hotel” Elvis Presley 1957 “All Shook Up” Elvis Presley 1958 “Nel Blu Dipinto Domenico di Blu (Volare)” Modugno 1959 “The Battle of New Orleans” Johnny Horton

Tell us what’s on your Music & Memory playlist!

Share with us on Facebook @PhoebeMinistries, #PhoebePlaylist.

13 Phoebe at Work | MUSIC & MEMORY

Phoebe’s implementation of the program is part of an Fox asked Jones to join the field study alongside ongoing collaboration with Moravian College and the Seitz a few months later. Jones says it was an exciting result of a dedicated partnership between Schudel and opportunity for her as a sophomore; she hadn’t expected her interdisciplinary team at Phoebe Richland, and Seitz an opportunity for field study until later in her education. and Jones under the leadership of Dr. Cecilia Fox. As As a member of the Moravian College band, Jones has a director of neuroscience studies at Moravian College and background in and understanding of music that matched president of the Lehigh Valley Society for Neuroscience her well with the program’s intent. (SfN) Chapter, Fox met with Phoebe Richland to find out After Seitz was chosen to lead the study, he spent much of how her students could get involved with the program, the spring semester researching the logistics of the MUSIC and presented the idea to Seitz. & MEMORYSM program and determining best methods for training and measuring the metrics involved in the “He is a double major in neuroscience and music, so study. Seitz chose Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination he was the perfect choice to lead this work!” says Fox. (ACE) III as the best fit for tracking outcomes. The five- Seitz’s gentle and patient demeanor was also a factor in week study involves cognition tests for the participants, choosing him to lead the five-week study. While Seitz administered in three stages—a “pre,” “mid,” and “final” had previous experience interacting with seniors, he test—to both groups of participants in the study to gauge learned quickly that communicating with people who language comprehension, memory, and visuospatial have dementia requires a different kind of patience and recognition. When the students were not on-site at a bit of creative thinking. Phoebe Richland, trained community life and nursing “From being a musician for twelve years, I've developed staff administered the music every other day for 20 to 40 an understanding for communicating with other people minutes at a time, and tracked metrics and observations. and learning self-expression in an entirely unique Seitz says based on his observations, the program’s greatest language,” says Seitz. “Many times I talked to residents impact is on the mood of participants. “Several people in who perseverated in their speech, and I had difficulty the study who are normally sensitive or irritable listen to interpreting their speech until I found a method of familiar music and start dancing in their chairs or lip- communication that they could understand as well.” syncing the lyrics, which was great to see,” he says.

14 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 Although they engaged in the study for scientific purposes to support their coursework, Seitz and WRAPPED WITH Jones say they’ve gained much more than a measure of data. “Everyone I met was so welcoming, happy, and caring,” says Jones, “from the community life team, the nursing staff, even the janitorial services staff greeted me every time I visited and knew the residents and their moods that day. It’s such Ellie DeLong a tightknit community.” In getting to know the CAREis one of participants, Jones says their distinct personalities the women stood out more than their cognitive condition, and who created prayer shawls she and Seitz got to know each one as an individual. for cancer Jones plans to work in pharmaceuticals after earning patients. her degree, studying Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease on a cellular level, and creating new Ellie DeLong, medications to treat these diseases. “After talking to who has lived one of the residents in our study, I learned that he at Phoebe was a pharmacist in New York City. I told him I want Berks Village to be just like him,” says Jones. for the past 23 years, has a Seitz and Jones were struck by the impact the very personal program has had in particular on one person with reason multiple mental and cognitive diagnoses. Her for donating her talents to making prayer shawls mood and cognition vary from day to day, but for cancer patients. Her granddaughter spent eight months fighting leukemia at the Children’s Hospital in on the days she listens to her customized playlist, Philadelphia when she was 16. DeLong stayed with her the students and staff both observe an immediate in the hospital four days a week and saw firsthand what positive reaction. One day she reached out and comfort a simple gift like a blanket could bring. touched Jones’ arm—she wanted to dance. Jones Some years later, Phoebe Berks initiated a program says moments like this showed her the impact of the for residents to donate handmade blankets to cancer program on her daily life. patients at Penn State Health St. Joseph in Reading, Although their field study at Phoebe Richland Pennsylvania. DeLong participated that first year and every year since, knitting and crocheting with her has come to an end, Seitz and Jones are still busy neighbors to make each blanket. She even went to the compiling data to compare against their hypotheses, hospital to help distribute them several times; she saw SM and the impact of MUSIC & MEMORY at Phoebe how needed they were and how the patients curled Richland continues to expand. Seitz presented the up with them. “I really think it gives them hope and program and some of his preliminary data from the improves their outlook,” DeLong reflected. study in November at the Society for Neuroscience Each year some 50 shawls are made by members of Conference in Washington, D.C., which sparked the Phoebe Berks Knitting Group and other Village interest among other colleges across the country residents including DeLong. They are blessed by the to consider community partnerships for similar chaplain in a special service and then packaged with a programs. Jones plans to continue her relationship small notecard that includes a prayer and the name of the person who made them, before being taken to the with the people she has met at Phoebe Richland. “I’ve hospital in time for the holidays. developed such great bonds and I want to continue to visit Phoebe Richland, possibly through volunteer In those months spent at the Children’s Hospital with her granddaughter, DeLong saw many children who did work,” says Jones. “It’s been a gift to do this study; I’m not survive the fight. Her granddaughter was one of the very appreciative, especially to the residents for their lucky ones; she grew up to become a teacher and had willingness to be open with me.” two beautiful children of her own. For that gift, DeLong feels her family is forever blessed, and wishes to pass

SM that hope on to others with cancer. “Knowing how To learn more about MUSIC & MEMORY grateful so many are to receive these blankets—” she and memory support at Phoebe Richland, says, “It’s just a warming thought when you are making visit phoebe.org/richland. them to think who is going to receive them.”

15 The Art of Living

Artists IN RESIDENCE

16 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 IN RESIDENCE The artists of Phoebe communities are proof that it's never too late to pick up a brush or a lump of clay, Artists and create something beautiful. Les Fleurs by Walter Krieger

17 The Art of Living

enrietta Edelschein hated her sculpture teacher. the “essence” that defines her work as a mature artist. Line, form, and movement presiding over everything. “He wanted all the detail—the collar bones, all of Edelschein says she was “elated” by the discovery. But it—I didn’t see it that way! I wanted to simplify, to she wouldn’t begin sculpting until the birth of her first feel the flow, the forms.” son, Rich, in 1958. The shape, the heft of his head in her So she stopped going. When she finished her degree hand, turned into a self-renewing source of inspiration in fine arts at the Stella Elkins Tyler School of Art in throughout her artistic life. Since then, Edelschein has Philadelphia, Edelschein practiced pottery. At first she created hundreds of sculptures, most of them from clay or created symmetrical forms on the potter’s wheel—bowls, natural objects like pine cones, branches, and sprigs of dried vases, and the like—but quickly grew bored. Her later leaves. She works in the abstract, creating forms that suggest work exemplifies her interest in more natural forms, rather than mimic or recreate. asymmetrical shapes that suggest ideas, gestures, and One of Edelschein’s sculptures is on display in the chapel parts of plants and trees. at Phoebe Wyncote, our continuing care retirement Edelschein discovered sculpture for herself when she community a few miles outside Philadelphia, where she visited the Guggenheim Museum and saw pieces there has lived since 2014. Her husband Reinhold, a gifted artist representing every culture and era of human history. and musician in his own right, came to Phoebe following a She went to the Museum of Natural History and saw the stroke and Henrietta moved with him, taking up residence works of prehistoric people. Everything simplified— in an independent living studio facing east. She moved in the autumn, and took the room because of the maple tree outside her windows, which was filled with brilliant orange leaves. “I’m very inspired by trees,” she says. They appear in her work again and again, often merging with the shapes of men and women.

Henrietta Edelschein, 88, with The Singer, on loan to Phoebe Wyncote.

Homage to Cave Drawings, sculpted by Henrietta Edelschein.

18 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 Longtime residents of the West Mount Airy district “I made every mistake in the book!” he recalls. With time in Philadelphia, the Edelscheins chose Phoebe for its and patience, and a certain playfulness and whimsy evident faith-based ministry. “They take care of you here,” says throughout his paintings, Krieger produced a body of work so Edelschein today. “It’s a very good place.” Her husband lost extensive that much of it is kept in storage for part of the year. his ability to speak after a second stroke three years ago. She In the years that followed, Krieger and his wife exhibited their visits him in his own studio each day, playing music of the work both jointly and individually, demonstrating and selling composers, violinists, and conductors he loves. And there is pieces occasionally. Judith taught until a heart attack 10 years some comfort in knowing that her husband is looked after ago forced her to cut back. Since moving to Phoebe Berks by a dedicated team of experts who care about him as an in 2013, Walter has painted little; he’s heavily involved with individual, and that she is just around the corner. other pursuits at Phoebe, as an active musician, and chief Edelschein is one of many gifted artists who have chosen editor of the Writers, a magazine of essays, poems, and fiction Phoebe as a retirement destination. Her residence at by people who live at Phoebe Berks Village. Phoebe Wyncote is filled with the treasures of her own “They often say the busiest people are the happiest and most creation, as well as her husband’s. Where the sculptures productive,” says Krieger, now 78. “I have no need to be have left space are the books she brought with her from productive. I have a need to have time to pursue who I am Mount Airy. Edelschein, a published poet—most recently and what I want to be.” For Krieger, as for so many others at in a Philadelphia literary journal—has an addiction to Phoebe Berks and elsewhere, there simply isn’t enough time books, she says. in the day. He wants to study writing and poetry more deeply, The Rev. Walter Krieger has space of a similar kind in his and do other things he’s never had time to do. apartment at Phoebe Berks Village. The walls are filled Just one floor down from Krieger is another painter, Sandy with his paintings and those of his wife, Judith. Unlike Leidich. She didn’t start painting until she was 45. One day Edelschein, who explored her artistic identity before she when she was looking for a fine arts instructor to teach could read, Krieger came to art late in life. His wife was a her 10-year-old son ceramics, she discovered a woman painter and an instructor. She took painting holidays in who taught oil painting in the basement of her home in Europe and Krieger accompanied her, choosing where Myerstown. Leidich began studying technique with her. “I they would go next. A retired pastor with 23 years of never had the opportunity to do anything until then,” she ministry under his belt, Krieger took up painting after says. “I never had time or a place to set up.” Since then she one of his wife’s students suggested he give it a try. He was has produced about one painting a year, give or take. They are 65. “I’ve put this off too long,” Krieger said to himself at exquisitely detailed, finely crafted works, ranging from still the time. The student sent him art supplies to get started. lifes to landscapes.

Detail of Birds in Burgundy by Reinhold Edelschein. Detail of Along the Seine by Judith Krieger.

19 The Art of Living

Detail of Irises by Sandy Leidich.

Art in tandem: Gertrude McDonald paints with the assistance of her husband, Doug, using a special brush and controlled movements of her head to complete McDonald was a painter for years, and did a portrait of Doug 60 vibrant scenes and landscapes. Doug repositions the years ago when they met. “It took me a while to understand you canvas and pours out her colors for her. really can be yourself, whatever that is,” she says. “Painting was important to me and it releases memories. Every time I paint I think of a person or it reminds me of a person.” Their choice to At Phoebe Berks, Leidich is more of a musician than come to Phoebe means Doug can come and go as he pleases, a painter. Among other things, she plays in a piano which was not the situation at a community where McDonald quartet with some of her neighbors, performing classical lived previously. “We have freedom here and there’s comfort in works for piano four-hands. “Living here is ideal for any that freedom.” personality,” says Leidich. Her late husband was a very At Phoebe, the McDonalds can also take advantage of a therapy private person and preferred time alone, while Leidich team committed to creating new resources for wellness. herself chose to engage in more activity in her community. McDonald is working with a physical therapist on using an iPad The arrangement at Phoebe Berks suited them perfectly. that will allow her to use the internet as a research tool so she can “When you work, you’re always rushing to the next thing learn more about painting, art, and the world outside. but when you come here, it’s off your shoulders. If I want Though it is home to many artists of longstanding practice, to do this, I do it. I have peace of mind here.” Phoebe’s independent living communities also offer the That peace of mind is important to people who choose opportunity for new and budding artists to flourish in different Phoebe for retirement. For Gertrude McDonald, choosing ways. Jacqueline Lare has taken advantage of classes at the Phoebe Richland meant she could rely on someone to Terrace at Phoebe Allentown to revisit her fondness for painting. look after her, and her husband could too. McDonald She took lessons in oil, watercolor, acrylic, and other forms became a quadriplegic in 2003, and her husband took care throughout her life and painted quite a bit. “I like to do what I of her for years. She came to Phoebe in 2014, and since can to enhance things around here,” she says now. At Phoebe then her husband Doug has been a constant and regular Berks, painting classes and other artistic adventures are frequent visitor. Doug’s visits are especially meaningful because engagements for the community. In September, Patti Sciali of when he comes, Gertrude can paint. Using a special Reading was an artist in residence there, and led a group of brush that fits into her mouth, McDonald creates vibrant women in creating cyanotype pictures to be sewn together into a watercolors, both landscapes and abstracts, making small quilt. Funded by a Pennsylvania grant, Sciali taught the delicate movements of her head to complete the brush strokes. and exacting technique of cyanotype to eight women at Phoebe Doug sets up her palette and easel, and adjusts the canvas Berks, and worked with them on the project for several weeks. for her as she works. “We’re having the time of our lives,” said one during the process.

20 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 Young CHECK OUT THESE ARTISTS Jacqueline Lare WHO GOT works on watercolors at in a class on painting THEIR BIG at the Terrace at BREAK IN Phoebe Allentown. THEIR GOLDEN YEARS!

CarmenArt Herrera (1915- ) – a Cuban- American artist educated in Paris, Herrera never sold a painting until she was 89. Today, she is considered to have been ahead of her time. Norman Maclean (1902-1990) – published his first novel, "A River Runs Through It", at age 74 to national acclaim. Frank McCourt (1930-2009) – became a Pulitzer Prize winner and millionaire at age 66 when he published his bestseller and first book "Angela’s Ashes" about his These are the kind of opportunities that Phoebe creates— childhood in Ireland. not only to continue in the pursuit of lifelong passions and hobbies, but to explore new ones. Nothing is stopping these artists from doing exactly what they want to do. Henrietta Edelschein, at age 88, is still writing poems and making plans for new works. Gertrude McDonald is exploring new avenues blending physical therapy with art. Walter Krieger keeps up with painter friends and new trends in the art world. “I have this balance of music, writing, and painting in my life,” says Krieger. “It’s a great life.” As individuals and members of a community, these artists are Grandma Moses (1860-1961) – born Anna striving constantly toward new things, not in spite of their time Mary Robertson, she didn’t start painting in life, but simply as a natural impulse. Their age is an indicator until she was 78 but continued until her only of their lifelong dedication to self-exploration. death at age 101. Bill Traylor (1853-1949) – self-taught artist Are you inspired? Share your art with and sharecropper who began creating chalk us on Facebook @PhoebeMinistries, drawings at age 85, and exhibited publicly #YoungAtArt. for the first time at age 87. Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) – a THIS IS JUST A SMALL columnist and writer most of her adult life, she achieved national recognition with "Little SELECTION OF THE WORK House on the Prairie" when she was 66. PRODUCED BY THESE ARTISTS! View a gallery online at phoebe.org/art.

The artists featured here will be exhibited at the Phoebe Institute on Aging Benefit in March!Visit phoebe.org/benefit to learn more!

21 The Greatest Generation

Left: Ready to serve: at home in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Right: Kunkel in Yokohama, Japan, in 1945 after he was promoted to first sergeant at the age of 20.

A DUTCHMAN I N aul Kunkel, 91, who lives in the Phoebe Allentown Health Care Center, is a well- known member of the local community Japan be made functional in their new roles. Shinto shrines because of his passion for involvement in were filled with mirrors that reflected light and noise, many organizations and his engagement with every so the Army confiscated whatever they could find to person he meets. cover them and reduce the echo. At night, limited “If you help people and treat them the way you would power distribution in the area caused voltage drops, and like to be treated, they will remember who you are,” Kunkel had to run cables out of the window to connect says Kunkel. to generators. He set up a timer so he wouldn’t have to This philosophy was engrained in the Kutztown native change the reels while running cables. early in life. “I was brought up in a home that never Kunkel was struck by the attitude of the Japanese people spoke ill of any neighbors and my father was very toward the presence of U.S. troops. He recalls that those generous with my time,” recalls Kunkel. As a boy, he met disagreed with Japan’s military force and the he was often sent to fix things and do small jobs for actions of the government. He was able to work amicably his neighbors, and his father cautioned him never to with many of the local people despite the language charge for his time. Instead, he was paid in gifts for his barrier, communicating instead through demonstration service from those he helped. and drawings of tasks he needed to carry out. After only a year as an engineering student at Lehigh Kunkel says today that his time in the military was a University, Kunkel served in the Army’s 22nd Special learning experience. “I was being educated on how to Services Company in Allied-occupied Japan and was serve my nation,” he reflects. It was also an education tasked with converting existing spaces such as Shinto in interacting with others across skill levels and shrines into recreational centers for U.S. troops. abilities, a lesson that Kunkel learned well and carried Shrines became movie theatres, and airplane hangars into his career. became basketball and volleyball courts. Many of these At age 20, Kunkel was promoted to first sergeant and spaces required additional care and improvisation to dubbed “the Kid” in his unit. “The older servicemen

22 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 Today, Paul Kunkel is a vibrant presence at Phoebe Allentown.

liked to tease me because I was younger but they also building committee for the new temple located nearby, supported me,” says Kunkel. “The jobs I was given and at one time was in charge of converting existing were primarily the ones nobody else was taking and buildings across Pennsylvania into new lodge locations. I developed a reputation for advancement.” Kunkel’s Kunkel is fluent in Pennsylvania German, which he mother asked him once why he always had to be picked up working as a child in the garage with his “in front.” father. At the time it was common not to teach the “I don’t aspire to be in front,” he replied. “I get language to children because of local prejudice against pushed there.” it. He is well known in the area for his efforts to promote and preserve the heritage of this unique culture and was This would prove true throughout Kunkel’s life. A heavily involved with the Pennsylvania German Cultural past district deputy grandmaster of the 10th Masonic Heritage Center at Kutztown University. For 18 years District, Kunkel received the 33rd Degree, an honor Kunkel was president of a local Groundhog Lodge where awarded only after a peer election. A master of the members speak only Pennsylvania German. At one time Masonic Lodge in Trexlertown, Kunkel was chair of the he also served as superintendent of 12 local Pennsylvania

23 The Greatest Generation

German language schools where members of the community could learn the language of their parents and grandparents. But more than anything in life, Kunkel is proudest of his two adopted children, who are very successful in their respective fields of hydrogeology and medicine. “You never want to get between the two of them,” he says, referring to their close relationship. Kunkel was familiar with Phoebe from the times he had spent at Phoebe Allentown with members of his church. This connection to Phoebe and the people he visited planted the seed of his interest in volunteering—an interest he pursued with his wife, Doris, for 16 years. After 62 years in their family home in Emmaus, he and Doris decided to move to the Terrace at Phoebe Allentown. “We really enjoyed our apartment there and could watch all of the fireworks from our balcony at various times in the summer,” Kunkel recalls. It is also where they started some wonderful friendships, including with fellow alumni of While at Fort McLellan, Kunkel was part of the Cadry training force. The signature white stripe was meant to be visible so Lehigh University. commanding officers knew who to enlist in directing necessary Following a fall in 2013, Kunkel moved to the tasks or actions—it earned wearers the jocular epithet “Skunk.” Phoebe Allentown Health Care Center for rehabilitation. Although he must now use a “So there is your answer to a life philosophy,” he adds motorized chair, Kunkel still volunteers his time offering with a laugh. Kunkel makes everyone feel special with presentations to his neighbors, including the infamous his positive attitude, descriptive stories, and a good dose “America’s Lost Architecture: The Outhouse,” for which of kidding around. Those who spend time with him are he always receives a lot of welcome ribbing! always left with a smile and a memory of that bright spot “You are giving those who attend something to think in the day. Kunkel is a warm, moving presence at Phoebe about and are challenging them mentally,” he says about Allentown, a place he chose to live in his retirement and his programs. He attributes his skill in presenting to his which he served and continues to serve not only with his army service, especially when the men mustered and he time, but with the vitality and energy of his spirit. was giving orders. Volunteering is so engrained in his personality that he even passed on the tradition to his …it’s time children, who have told him they continue to exercise Relax the skills he taught them in their daily lives. Do you have a Greatest Generation to enjoy yourself. Kunkel was recently featured on a panel of World story to share with us? Connect War II veterans at ArtsQuest on Veterans Day and was with our community of veterans surprised to run into several people he had worked on Facebook @PhoebeMinistries, with many years before. They remembered him, and he #GreatestGeneration, and join attributes it to his manner of treating people and the us in honoring those who served experiences he created with them. our country!

24 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 Happenings | INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

hristmas in Phoebe’s communities is made special every year thanks to the generosity and enthusiastic support of local businesses and community leaders. Intent on spreading Christmas cheer, Dunn and Bradstreet of Allentown, Pennsylvania, has sponsored gifts for residents of the Phoebe Allentown Health Care Center for years. Employees throughout the organization purchase gifts for everyone at the health care center based on wish lists the residents write. This year, Buckeye Pipeline also contributed to holiday gift-giving, and every resident at Phoebe Allentown and the David. A. Miller Personal Care Community received everything on their lists. Bethlehem-based BSI Corporate Benefits contributed to Christmas at Phoebe Wyncote, making it possible to supply gifts for many seniors who otherwise might receive nothing on the holiday. INSPIRED

HOLIDAYOpportunities to bring joy to our residents are available year-round: join as a volunteer or make a donation that will bring new activities and programs to our communities. To learn more, please visit phoebe.org/giving or call 610-794-5132.

Relax…it’s time to enjoy yourself. Life in retirement should be lived to the fullest. Take a night on the town, or that trip you’ve been dreaming of for years—and make new friends along the way. Pathstones by Phoebe is a life care program that offers members access to exclusive social events and cultural activities tailored just for you. And that’s only the beginning. Come see Visit PathstonesByPhoebe.org or call what’s waiting for you. 610-794-6700 to reserve your seat today. Learn more about what Pathstones can bring to Light refreshments are provided. your life at one of our free seminars.

25 The Art of Living

BIRDS of aFeather

t’s mid-November, and Glenn and Judith Sillhart (above) where they’ll spend five months in the placid sunshine are packing up to vacate their cottage at Phoebe Berks of the Gulf Coast. They’ve been visiting since 2002 when Village for the winter. They’re heading for south central Barbara’s sister bought a place, and it became a regular Florida, to spend four months in a community they’ve second home. When they made the move to Phoebe, it Iknown as their second home for over 10 years. Amid the was important that they could continue the lifestyle that bustle of contacting the post office, double checking bags, had become so important to them. and starting up cable and other services at their destination, As with everything else, Phoebe makes it easier for one thing they don’t have to worry about is the home they’re people to live the lifestyle they want. The snowbird leaving behind for the next few months. program at Phoebe offers halved monthly rates on Two months later, Fred and Barbara Davis are making independent living residences, and peace of mind that their preparations for “the Season” in Naples, Florida, cannot be overvalued. During the time they’re away, the

26 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 FeatherThe Hartzes escape the summer heat each year at their “camp” on Big Moose Lake in New York. Sillharts’ home will be monitored when Phoebe’s security What attracted the Hartzes and the Sillharts to their team makes daily drives through the neighborhood. vacation communities is much like what brought them to Their water and heat will be turned low after they leave, Phoebe. Tom and Donna are as much involved at Phoebe and before they return everything will be turned on as they are at the lake, and both homes fulfill important again and adjusted to their preferred levels, so that roles in their lives. “It kind of renews you,” Donna reflects coming home will feel like they were never gone. about their summers away. And at the end of the summer, The Sillharts know they can rely on neighbors, too, to “we can’t wait to come back and get home,” she says. “After keep an eye on things. Tom and Donna Hartz live just we’re up there a few months we’re ready to come back and around the corner and the two couples look after each enjoy the Phoebe experience,” agrees Tom. other’s homes during extended vacations. The arrangement Judith Sillhart says their home in Florida shares many of works well partly because the Hartzes are not snowbirds, the same qualities with Phoebe Berks. It’s a quiet, rural they’re summer birds; so when they leave the Sillharts are community where they know all their neighbors and still home, and vice versa. Every May the Hartzes head life is lived much the same from day to day: gathering north out of the Berks County summers to a vacation cabin in the evenings, daytime excursions—and of course, in the Adirondacks on Big Moose Lake. Tom, who has a highly active calendar throughout the year. Glenn been visiting the lake for forty years, says it’s a full fifteen Sillhart volunteers at Phoebe, weeding flower beds in degrees cooler there. The Hartzes are active members of the the community garden and maintaining the nature trail summer getaway community, taking part in their church that runs through the Village. In Florida, Judith runs the and weekly lectures at the community center and nearby community kitchen during bingo tournaments, among Blue Mountain Lake. They also enjoy peace of mind leaving other things. When they’re in Berks County, Judith takes their home in Phoebe’s care during their absence. advantage of pool aerobics and entertainment at Phoebe “We can walk away and know our place is cared for,” Berks, and they both enjoy day trips, brunches, and other says Donna. When they return in September, the trees events in the community. “They offer you so much, you are trimmed, the grass is cut, and the air conditioning is can really be quite busy,” says Judith. on. “We don’t have to worry about our Phoebe home. It’s The Davises live in one of the Phoebe Berks Village very safe here.” apartments, and the snowbird program was an attractive

27 The Art of Living

Fred and Barbara Davis spend five months a year in sunny Naples, Florida.

a lifestyle that is independent, engaged, and active, not just in the home community of Phoebe but elsewhere as well. They have taken the meaning of the word retirement and turned it upside down, acting as members of two unique communities with advantages and offerings that complement one another. “Our entire culture at Phoebe Berks is built around empowering people to be their best selves,” says Phoebe Berks Executive Director Star High. “Retirement is when you should be traveling, living it up, and making the most feature to them from the beginning. “It’s one of the strong of your time. We want to foster that lifestyle in every way we points of why we came to Phoebe,” says Fred. Like their can, so we take care of everything—it’s part of the worry- neighbors and fellow travelers, the Davises are doing free lifestyle here.” anything but sitting still. They’re involved heavily with their church and a clinic that Barbara helped found there, High says she and her team emphasize this with everyone the Western Berks Free Medical Clinic (see The Phoebe who chooses to join the community at Phoebe Berks. Life in a Messenger: Fall 2017 at phoebe.org/messenger). Fred retirement community should reflect everything you’ve loved chairs several committees at the church and volunteers in about life up to that point, and more importantly, everything the amputee visitor program at the hospital. In January the you haven’t had a chance to enjoy yet. The snowbird program Davises escape the cold and head to Naples, where Fred is just one more option in an array of opportunities that plays between nine and 18 holes of golf every week. empowers seniors to make the most of this time in their lives, so that a move to Phoebe is by no means the last chapter: it’s “What’s not to like about it?” says Fred. “You don’t get a the beginning of the most exciting one yet. hassle from the organization. They give you a wonderful financial break. Nobody else offers that.” START YOUR BEST CHAPTER TODAY. The snowbird program at Phoebe is more than a matter For more information on life at Phoebe, of convenience for people with vacation homes. It fosters visit phoebe.org.

The snowbird program is also available at the Terrace at Phoebe Allentown! Call 610-794-6010 to learn more. Where are you Flying? Whether you’re snowbirds, summer geese, or just looking for a great vacation destination, we have a few suggestions. From relaxing getaways to exciting hotspots and cultural touchstones, these cities are must-sees for any senior traveler. ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA ANCHORAGE, ALASKA If there’s one state that says “snowbird” it’s Florida, and St. For those who prefer to escape the heat of summer, Alaska Petersburg is one of the hubs of activity for vacationers of is the most fitting destination in the U.S. The state’s largest all ages. Considered one of the most affordable snowbird city, Anchorage, offers a gateway for adventurous travelers cities in the U.S., the Sunshine City is known for its seeking to discover the state’s unparalleled national parks boardwalks, golfing, boating, and fishing. and local attractions as well. - TOP ATTRACTION: The Salvador Dalí Museum - TOP ATTRACTION: Alaska Railroad - HIDDEN GEM: The Sunken Gardens - HIDDEN GEM: Harriman Fjord

28 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 TIPS FOR THE ASPIRING SNOWBIRD Although Phoebe makes it easy to leave your residence behind for the season, there are still a few odds and ends to take care of before you go. ARRANGE A HOME CONTACT—What if you’re in CALL YOUR INSURER—Do you get a discount on an accident or something goes wrong while you’re auto insurance if you leave your car at home? It never away? Ask a friend, neighbor, or family member to hurts to ask. be a designee in case of emergencies. Share your CALL YOUR BANK—Make sure your credit card designee’s contact information with your doctors, your companies know where you’ll be and for how long so pharmacy, and family. they know not to flag your activity as fraudulent. EMPTY AND OPEN—Empty your refrigerator. Do the JUST THE ONE—Consider using only one credit card same with the dishwasher and leave it open to avoid during your trip to minimize the risk of theft. stagnant smells. DON’T EXPIRE—Check that your driver’s license FORWARD YOUR MAIL—Contact the local post won’t expire while you’re away. office and fill out a change of address so your mail will WATCH THE WIFI—Away from home, it’s tempting be forwarded. to use convenient public hot spots, but don’t check HOLD IT—Cancel your newspaper subscription, or your bank account or personal information at the local request a hold during your absence. coffee shop. Their connections are not secure like your WiFi at home. TAKE IT WITH YOU—Packing light is a virtue, but make sure you have copies of your prescriptions, TAKE YOUR TIME—There’s no rush! This is your medical records, and financial account numbers just retirement. Your destination isn’t going anywhere. in case. Even better: store them digitally so you can Double check everything and take a deep breath. access them easily from a secure device. Time to have fun! Phoebe will take care of your lights, your heat, your lawn, your trees, and your home’s security while you’re gone. But don’t forget these key tips when you’re ready to take flight!

If you make your home at Phoebe Berks, you’ll have access to retirement communities across the country! Phoebe Berks is a member of the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM) of the United Church of Christ, PASSPORT and provides a Passport To Travel to other participating communities where you can stay as a guest on vacation. Check out Seattle, St. Louis, Phoenix, and other TO TRAVEL cities across the United States without lodging expenses for up to two weeks. Details, along with a full list of destinations, can be found at chhsm.org.

PAHOA, HAWAII SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA Nothing says vacation like Hawaii, and Pahoa is a The Sunbelt city with an unassuming name, Scottsdale is surprisingly affordable destination, often described as the within a few miles of Phoenix, Mesa, and the Tonto National hippie capital of Hawaii. We’d recommend hanging out on Forest. Take a hike through the nearby McDowell Sonoran the beach in the shadow of Kilauea. Preserve, or check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio - TOP ATTRACTION: Kapoho Tidal Pools at Taliesin West. - HIDDEN GEM: Kalapana Lava Flows - TOP ATTRACTION: Butterfly Wonderland - HIDDEN GEM: Scottish Golf at Kierland Golf Club NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND Summer home of America’s elite since the Gilded Age, Where have you been? Share your Newport is a vibrant town with a rich cultural background trip with us on Facebook steeped in colonial history. This is summer getaway living @PhoebeMinistries, #PhoebeFlyers. with the best of 'em. - TOP ATTRACTION: The Breakers - HIDDEN GEM: Purgatory Chasm

29 Happenings | PHOEBE PHARMACY

Paul Schaeffer, Phoebe Berks Village, is a veteran benefiting directly from Phoebe Pharmacy’s repackaging program.

communities besides those belonging to Phoebe. The need for repackaging arises from the way the VA dispenses medications in prescription bottles, sometimes several per resident. This can be challenging for caregivers. Many continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) have adopted adherence packaging for medication management. This means medications are packaged in a way that helps the recipient remember to take them at the right time and in the right dose. Phoebe Pharmacy makes this easier by providing Parata packaging for A Way to medications, which parses them into “pillow packs,” small self-contained packets of medication that are easier for people to track and handle. These packs, which include GIVE BACK the individual’s name, the date, the time of administration, It’s not uncommon to hear of the ways people honor the medication name and description, and directions for our nation’s veterans, but that doesn’t make it any less administration, improve safety and compliance. They meaningful. Phoebe Pharmacy has found a special way also free up time for caregivers; nurses and aides spend to thank the veterans in the retirement communities less time handling and sorting medications, and more it serves and it goes back to the pharmacy’s roots in quality time with people. When possible, the pharmacy nonprofit long term care. The pharmacy chooses not streamlines the process, coordinating with residents to charge a repackaging fee for medications that come and their families to send medications directly to the from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs pharmacy from the VA. (VA), providing the service gratis for veterans “The convenience Phoebe Pharmacy offers is a huge at these communities. benefit,” says Paul Schaeffer of Phoebe Berks Village. Like “Our parent organization, Phoebe Ministries, was so many other veterans in CCRCs, Schaeffer benefits built on the idea of providing for people, especially directly from the pharmacy’s repackaging service which those who could not provide for themselves,” explains saves him time and money. Anastasia Lawrence, Pharmacy Business Development “We saw this as an opportunity for us to give back and and Performance Assurance. “Phoebe Pharmacy can honor our veterans, and we didn’t hesitate to take it,” says charge for repackaging but we choose not to as a way of Cindy Richart, Vice President of Pharmacy Operations. honoring our veterans and giving back what we can for “It wasn’t even a question.” The pharmacy’s dedication to their service.” providing the highest quality services and making life a As part of their benefits, many of those who have served little easier for its clients reflects Phoebe’s commitment to our country receive medications directly from the VA. the same high standard. A number of these individuals reside in long term care communities served by the pharmacy, which operates To learn more about Phoebe Pharmacy, across seven counties in Pennsylvania and serves many visit phoebepharmacy.org.

30 WWW.PHOEBE.ORG | Winter 2018 FOR OUR us JoinSPRING CONFERENCE! Building a Customer Driven CULTURE April 26, 2018 DESALES UNIVERSITY

610-794-5150

Learn more at phoebe.org/piaconference

REGISTRATION OPENS MARCH 16.

For more information, please contact Rebecca Horst at 610-794-5149 or [email protected]. phoebe.org/benefit REGISTER TODAY!

31 1925 W. Turner Street Allentown, PA 18104 1-800-453-8814 phoebe.org

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2018

TEE OFF ON AUGUST 13. phoebe.org/golf